A Princess and her Knight
by Dragon Star Queen
Summary: Euphy plans a night for them alone right before SAZ and end's up telling Suzaku her fondest memory with Lelouch and Nunnally.


The Third Princess of Britannia held the front of her dress off the ground as she ran up the flights of stairs of Ashford Academy. She was moving so quickly even her knight had a difficult time keeping up.

"Euphy!" The honorary Britannian yelled as he chased after her, lagging a flight of stairs behind.

She giggled as she reached the landing and turned around to face the teen. "Suzaku, you slowpoke, hurry up!" She tried her best to sound commanding, her hand on her hip and her foot tapping on the tiled floor.

Suzaku glared at her for a moment (he did not appreciate the insult to his athletic ability) before breaking out in laughter as he climbed up the last of the steps. "Your highness, I beg your pardon, but you're not all that intimadating."

"Oh, Suzaku," she walked down the few steps to grab his hand, "stop being so formal when it's just the two of us."

"Just the two of us," he echoed before she pulled him up the stairs.

The princess smiled sweetly at her knight. "Ms. Ashford said the party room was just for us tonight," she said as she continued to drag the Number into the room.

A soft smile slipped across Suzaku's face. "I'll have to remember to thank Madame President."

"Suzaku," the young girl said sternly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her body, "you need to learn how to relax."

"Relax?" Suzaku repeated as if she was speaking in an unfamiliar language, "Euphy, how can you even think about that, the Special Administrative Zone is starting tomorrow and-" the boy stopped mid-sentence when he felt her delicate hands on either side of his face.

Euphemia watched her knight, concern etched deep in her violet eyes. Standing on her tip-toes she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "It's all taken care of, tonight we are just Euphy and Suzaku, not princess and knight."

Suzaku exhalled deeply, "my apolo- I'm sorry, Euphy," he reached out and pushed stray strands of hair behind her ear, "what are we doing here, anyway?"

She took a hold of his wrist and tilted her head so his hand was cupping the side of her face, and closed her eyes contently, "I have a surprise," she said at length and cracked open an eye to watch his reaction.

The olive eyes widened as he looked around. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the room. "What do you mean, 'a surprise?'"

She giggled and took his hand in hers, powder white fingers lacing with his darker toned ones. "It's on the terrace," she said as she began to drag him again.

Once outside, a wave of emotion (and definitely surprise) swept across Suzaku's face. "Oh, Euphy," when he looked over at his princess; she was watching him intently, her eyes lit up with hope.

"Do you like it?" she asked innocently.

The knight wrapped his princess tightly in a hug, "I love it."

"Really?" Euphemia couldn't surpress the excitement in her voice. She stepped back out of his embrace just to take in every emotion that played off his face as he looked around.

There were candles set sporadically across the guard railing. They weren't overwhelming, just the right amount casting a soft glow on his princess's pleased face. In the middle of the balcony sat a dinner for two ripped right from the movie screen.

"Yeah, really," he said as he led her to the table.

"That's good," her tone was shy now. Suzaku felt her gaze fall from his face and he looked over at her.

"I remember Cornelia telling me how Guilford did something similar for her," the princess continued as a blush crawled across her cheeks, "but I always thought, when I had my own knight I would be the one to do it to show my thanks to him," she looked back up at him, her eyes closed and a nervous smile on her face.

"Thank you, Euphy," Suzaku said as he pulled Euphemia's chair out for her. But the princess walked around the table and seated herself with another reminder to stop being so formal.

Over dinner they exchanged vivid memories of their childhood with Lelouch and Nunnally. Euphemia listened in amazement as Suzaku told her stories of Japan before the war; and he did the same as the princess talked about how different life was in the Homeland.

"To be completely honest," Euphemia said as she reached across the small table to take honorary Brittanian's hand. "I really like you, Suzaku."

The Eleven looked up from his plate, his expression shocked. "I like you too, Euphy."

She shook her head and closed her eyes. She exhaled to calm her nerves, "no, Suzaku, ever since we first met I've liked you," she smiled to herself. It wasn't her brightest plan, but she wouldn't have wished for anyone else to be outside her window. She picked up his hand in hers, running her thumb across the top of it as she spoke, "You're gentle like Nunnally, you're an excellent pilot like Cornelia, and you have Lelouch's motivation. I really like you, Suzaku," she confessed with stress on the word 'really.'

Suzaku smiled at her warmly, not that he didn't appreciate her spilling her feelings onto the table. He took her hand lacing their fingers together. "I know, I really like you too, Euphy."

She stood up in excitement, her chair scooting across the balcony. Suzaku stood up too as she walked back around the table. He caught her as she threw her arms around him wildly. "Oh, Suzaku," the delight was evident in her voice. She looked up at him, her violet eyes brimming with tears of sheer joy, "This is the best night ever!"

The grin stayed plastered on his face, nothing could make him smile more than his princess's innocence. He cupped the back of her head in his hand, massaging the scalp with his fingers. They stayed like that long as he could remember, both hearts pounding against each other in pure bliss.

The knight took a step back from his princess but still held onto her hand. He led her from the candle lit terrace back into the party room. She followed quietly as he led her to one of the couches in the room where she sat down. He removed the school jacket that he was still wearing before joining her on the couch.

Euphemia found herself curling into Suzaku's side. She wouldn't say she fit like a glove; it was more like a favorite pair of pajamas. It was a comfortable and warm feeling, yet new at the same time. The slow rise and fall of Suzaku's chest was slowly lulling her to sleep. As he twirled her hair in his fingers she began to lose a sense of reality. She yawned, her thoughts began to blur together as she forced herself to stay awake. A moment like this needed to be experienced to its fullest.

"Suzaku," she said breaking the silence.

"What is it, Euphy?" He asked as he brushed her hair out of her face so he didn't have to strain to look in her eyes.

"I was just thinking about when Marianne was still alive, how she used to read Nunnally and me these magnificent stories about princesses and their knights in shining armor," she giggled at the memories, her own tiredness keeping her from the point of the story. "Lelouch used to force himself to stay in the room, just because Nunnally loved the stories so much, but you could tell he hated them," she laughed again nuzzling into Suzaku's chest, "He hated it more when we made him be our knight after though," she yawned and her eyes slipped shut, "but I finally have a knight that wants to be my knight."

Her last words barely audible, "and that makes me happy."


End file.
